How's this for a paycheck?

$1,153 per month.

$52.40 per day.

$6.55 per hour.

If you're a teenager, not bad. If you're a single adult or a family breadwinner, it's not going to put steak on the plate or much gas in the tank. For most, it's a lean-and-mean budget with no frills.

If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wins his budget battle in court next month, that's what thousands of state workers will see when their paychecks are temporarily cut to $6.55 per hour, the federal minimum wage.

But at least it's only temporary.

What's it like living long term on minimum wage? In California, one of 24 states with minimum-wage rates above the federal level, it means $8 an hour. But in a state battered by the housing downturn and rising gas and grocery prices, it doesn't go far.

"I don't think it's possible to keep a roof over your head, pay for gas and buy food on minimum wage. Two gallons of gas takes almost one hour of work. That alone makes it impossible," said Terri Carpenter, spokeswoman for the Sacramento Employment & Training Agency, which uses state and federal funds to train low-income individuals for higher-paying jobs.

Carpenter says those who survive on minimum wage typically get by with substantial support from other sources: public assistance, family help, shared housing.

Their ticket out, most experts say, is getting the job skills and training needed for higher-paying posts.

An estimated 74,000 Californians in 2007 were paid at or below the federal minimum wage, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

For the those in its grip, living on minimum wage is an exercise in frugality.

Jessica R. Wagner, 34 and a single mother of three, knows that only too well. After leaving an insurance company job, she struggled. She pinched pennies, budgeted tightly and prayed.

"I only spent cash; if I couldn't pay with cash, I didn't buy it." The way to make it work, Wagner says, was through public assistance, including subsidized housing and child care.

Her escape route was education and on-the-job training. The state sent her for training through SETA, which led to a temporary mailroom clerk job at $8 an hour.

"There's no way I could survive on that pay alone, especially with kids," says Wagner, who lives in a North Natomas apartment with her three children, ages 4, 9 and 12.

Determined to be a success story for her kids, she used her seasonal, temporary jobs as "steppingstones." This led in April to full-time employment – with benefits – at the State Compensation Insurance Fund.

Similarly frugal is Linda Marks, whose $1,500-a-month pension from 20 years in the Coast Guard is her only income while attending Rocklin's Sierra College. At roughly $18,000 a year, her pension income puts her well below "self-sufficiency" calculators that say a single adult in Placer County needs about $24,900 a year to survive without public assistance.

The 46-year-old has learned to scrimp and save, while attending school and living solo in her own apartment. (For her tips, see accompanying chart.)

Reduced wages – whether from job layoffs, disappearing sales commissions or pay cuts – combined with mortgage troubles – are taking their toll, said Susan Ulaga, a vice president with financial counseling firm ByDesign Financial Solutions in North Highlands.

"When those things collide, it makes it even harder for people living on the edge," said Ulaga, noting that requests for housing-related financial counseling have soared, more than doubling in the last year alone.

And that's without an estimated 175,000 state workers dropping to minimum wage.

As a precaution, the state is reminding its employees that if minimum-wage pay cuts come, they're entitled to free financial counseling sessions through the state personnel department's Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

And financial institutions like Golden 1 Credit Union also are gearing up. For affected state workers who are direct-deposit customers, the Sacramento-based credit union is offering no-interest loans to fill the income gap. Those without direct-deposit accounts can take out loans at 4.99 percent.

Have a personal finance question? The Bee's Claudia Buck can help you find answers. Reach her at (916) 321-1968 or via The Sacramento Bee; P.O. Box 15779; Sacramento, CA 95852.